Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Haute Couture is no longer the luxurious entity that plays a vital role in fashion today but it is still associated with fashion, playing the sole factor before the 60's, when Couture garments were made for the Royals of Versailles.

Before the 1960's Haute couture garments were desirable although Parisian houses set the standard for all other forms of clothing once they allowed American retailers into their salons.

When the 60's recession hit, people couldn't afford luxuries and weren't willing to pay for expensive garments. The Paradigm had shifted which planted the seed to become more financially aware of what was being spent and the opportunity cost of buying expensive garments to those that were cheaper. It became more evident within the zeitgeist that people were more comfortable with the idea of paying less for garments.

However this doesn't conclude that Haute Couture is dead or irrelevant. It's relevant in that we use the idea as a form of inspiration and longing for that luxury that once was in society. We all might not be able to afford a $50,000 suit or gown but the idea of wearing expensive fabrics drives the mass market to create the knock offs that essentially keep couture alive. It makes it more marketable to a larger range audience thus giving light to Haute Couture as being the essence that supports the image that we all seek in fashion.

That feeling when you look at the model, and you're not sure where to start or how. In this class I always struggled with beginning the sketch, mainly because I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, and ultimately every time I started I went into it knowing it was going to be a puzzle; to figure out the right proportion of the eyes, down to the lips, or the angles of the fingers even down to the height of the heel for the foot. My instructor told me what I had to practice and overall according to him I had good energy in my drawings.

Monday, August 13, 2012

I'm not much of a drawer, and I don't pretend to be. If it were up to me, I'd be the one sweating in a closed out room sewing a zipper into a dress. I love sewing.

However it doesn't work that way and for these two different assignments for my sketching class I was supposed to capture what I saw out my window, and what it looks like to have a stripped blanket draped over a chair. The idea was then to visualize the lines going in different directions, and for the most part I did alright.

Art is an altered state of mind where unconventional ideas are embraced. It's both a personal expression and a challenge to the senses. My art is the visual representation of my soul or identity. It reveals my personality and it can give clues on hidden emotions that I feel toward myself that I am trying to ignore. In addition, it can be my visual representation of my feelings and opinions about the society where I belong too, and in most cases it does.

I want my art to open peoples eyes to something new that they may not have experienced before. I want my design and artistry to be an avenue of escape from reality. I want people to question, and gaze upon all the hard work that goes into designing a garment. I want people to feel good, and confident in my designs, and allow themselves to feel the empathy of handwork that goes into what they wear.

I'd rather not bore you with my whole life story, so I'll cut to the chase when I packed my bags and left for San Francisco from Santa Cruz, to pursue Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. I have no regrets and since then I have accomplished a hand full, and to this day I hold it over my head with pride.

So far three years and on going of schooling ( and currently at AAU for my B.F A in fashion design) , an A.A degree from F.I.D.M, a debut fashion show through Skyline College, and freelance work through the industry has shaped my well being to prepare for the real world, but it doesn't stop there because everyday I'm always learning something new and evolving into someone better.

My mission is to create, and with a purpose. I know who I am, what I believe in and where I want to go.

Thank you.

One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go. - Sheila Murray Bethel.